Learning Circle Norms

The following norms and assumptions have been established over time by staff and students in CCS learning circles…

1. We are a learning community. We will treat each other with care and respect. We will value our own contributions and encourage the contributions of others. (This might include monitoring our own “air time” in discussions.)
2. We each bring unique gifts and needs. Diversity is acknowledged, welcomed, and respected.
3. We are life-long learners. We are committed to challenge and be challenged. We are each responsible for naming our learnings and discerning our own areas of growth. 
4. We recognize that barriers to full participation impact us differently. We work together to make the class as accessible and safe as possible. 
5. We are all co-learners, responsible for our own learning and for contributing to the learning of others. We are all responsible for the health of the group and process facilitation. We will work as collaboratively as possible.
6. Staff people have power related to their responsibilities that others in the group do not have.  Within that framework, we will attempt to operate in as mutual a fashion as possible without violating boundaries.
7. We will honour the mind/body/spirit connection; we will work intensively but at a pace that honours our humanity. We will respect start and end times and come to sessions prepared to fully participate. We are accountable to staff for all work or sessions missed.
8. We learn from, and share, our personal experiences. We respect requests for confidentiality. Where stories or images might be triggering we provide content warnings as appropriate.
9. We attempt to operate within a liberative non-hierarchical theological perspective. We bring this perspective and analysis to all our work. We use language and tone that is inclusive, expansive, and respectful.
10. As part of Creation, we make choices with an eye to reciprocity and our interconnection with the Earth.